Common Winter Siding Problems
Brittle vinyl, rotted trim, and moisture behind the wall, and what to fix before the freeze.
Read more →
Winter Home Guide
Drafty Doors And Windows: What Replacing Them Saves On A Massachusetts Heating Bill
If you can feel the cold standing next to a closed door in January, you're paying to heat the outdoors. Here's how to tell a weatherstripping job from a replacement job, what Energy Star means, and what a new door or window changes.
Where The Heat Goes
A house loses heat through every surface, but doors and windows are where you feel it. A door that's forty years old has weatherstripping that has flattened, a threshold that no longer meets the sweep, and often a hollow or solid-wood slab with no insulation in it at all. Old windows leak at the sash, the frame, and through the glass itself: a single pane of glass does almost nothing to slow heat, and a double-pane unit whose seal has failed isn't much better.
Three tests you can do tonight. Close a door on a dollar bill; if it slides out without resistance, the seal isn't sealing. Hold a lit incense stick near the edges of a door or window on a windy night and watch the smoke. And on a cold morning, look for frost or condensation on the inside of the glass, or fog between the panes. Fog between panes means the seal is gone and the insulating gas with it.
Fix Or Replace?
Not every draft is a replacement. Worn weatherstripping, a door sweep, fresh caulk around a window frame, and a storm door all cost little and make a real difference on a door or window that's otherwise sound. Replacement is the answer when:
- The frame or the sill is rotting, which no amount of sealing fixes
- The door has warped and won't latch without a shove
- The windows are single-pane
- Double-pane units have fogged, which means the seals have failed
- Sashes are painted shut, or won't stay up without a stick
- The door is a hollow builder-grade slab with no insulation in it
Our estimate is free either way, and it covers repair. If the right answer is new weatherstripping and a storm door, that's what we'll tell you.
What A New Door Changes
A modern entry door is an insulated fiberglass or steel shell around a foam core, with weatherstripping fitted at the factory, an adjustable threshold that meets the sweep, and often a multi-point lock that pulls the whole door tight against the frame. The difference is something you feel standing in the hallway, and it shows up first in the room nearest the door.
A storm door adds a second layer in front of the entry door and traps a pocket of still air between them, the same idea as a mudroom. In a Massachusetts winter it's one of the better small investments on a house, and it protects the entry door from weather for the rest of the year. We install entry doors, storm doors, and patio sliders, and we replace the rotted framing we find behind the old one instead of building over it.
What A New Window Changes
A replacement window today is double- or triple-pane glass with a low-emissivity coating that reflects heat back into the room, an insulating gas between the panes, and a frame that doesn't conduct cold the way old aluminum did. The number to look for is the Energy Star label for the Northern climate zone, which is where Massachusetts sits. That rating means the window meets a set standard for holding heat, not a manufacturer's own claim.
We install Harvey, Andersen, and Pella. Harvey is made in Massachusetts and built for this climate; Andersen and Pella bring the wider range of styles. On style: double-hung is the classic look for the colonials and capes around Tewksbury, and casement windows, which crank open and pull tight against the frame when closed, are the tighter seal if a room needs it.
What It Saves
The saving depends entirely on what you're replacing. Going from single-pane windows to Energy Star double-pane is the biggest jump a house can make; replacing double-pane windows that are only a decade old saves much less. A drafty door is a smaller share of a heating bill than most people expect, but it's the part you feel every time you walk past it, and comfort is a fair reason on its own.
Two things worth doing before you spend anything. Mass Save offers a home energy assessment that measures where your house is losing heat, so you replace the right things first. And when you get a number from us, the financing on it starts at 0% for 12 months through GreenSky, with 10- and 15-year plans if you'd rather keep the monthly payment low. Details are on our financing page.
Doing It In Winter
Yes, windows and doors get replaced in winter, and it's less dramatic than it sounds. The crew works one opening at a time, so the house is never open for long, and a single window is out and in within an hour or so. Fall is the ideal time, because you get the benefit for the whole season, but a January install beats another winter of drafts.
If you're not sure which windows or which door to start with, start with the room that's coldest. That's almost always where the worst opening is, and it's the change you'll notice first. Our windows and doors page covers what we install and how, and the estimate is free.
Feeling the cold through a door or window?
· 80 Google Reviews · 48-hour response on repair calls · Free, no-obligation. We reply within 24 hours.
Window and door questions we hear every winter
What are Energy Star windows?
Windows that meet a government-set standard for how well they hold heat, tested by an independent lab rather than rated by the manufacturer. The standard varies by climate zone; Massachusetts is in the Northern zone, which has the strictest requirement for keeping heat in. In practice an Energy Star window here is double- or triple-pane glass with a low-emissivity coating and an insulating gas between the panes.
Is a storm door worth it in Massachusetts?
Usually, yes. A storm door traps a pocket of still air between itself and the entry door, which cuts drafts and protects the main door from rain, snow, and sun. It's one of the lower-cost improvements on a house and it makes an older entry door perform much better. The exception is a door that gets direct afternoon sun, where the heat trapped between the two doors can damage the finish on the inner one.
Double-hung vs casement windows: which is warmer?
Casement. A casement window cranks open and, when closed, the sash pulls tight against the frame on all four sides, so there's less air leakage than a double-hung, where two sashes slide past each other. Double-hung is the traditional look for New England colonials and capes and is the right call for most rooms; casements make sense where a room is drafty or the window faces the prevailing wind.
How long do vinyl windows last?
Twenty to thirty years for a good-quality vinyl replacement window. The glass unit usually gives out before the frame: once the seal between the panes fails you'll see fog or condensation inside the glass, and the insulating gas is gone. Frames from the major manufacturers carry long warranties, and Harvey, Andersen, and Pella all back their units in writing.